From September 1, schools will have a slimmed-down core curriculum. The Ministry of National Education has published regulations on this matter. It also includes new reading lists. We present them below.
Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka she signed regulations amending the core curriculum general education for 18 subjects in primary and secondary schools.
The Ministry of Education announced that from September 1, teachers and students of grades 4-8 of primary schools and all grades of secondary schools (general secondary schools, technical schools, stage I and II vocational schools) will work with a changed core curriculum.
In the annexes to the regulations, the Ministry of National Education has indicated reading lists that will be in force from the new school year.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Suggested readings for shared and individual reading:
- Hans Christian Andersen, “Fairy Tales” (do choice)
- Justyna Bednarek, “The Incredible Adventures of Ten Socks (Four Right and Six Left)”
- Jan Brzechwa, “Brzechwa for children”
- Waldemar Cichoń, “Candy, you rascal!”
- Agnieszka Frączek, “Gee Julek! How Julian Tuwim became a poet”
- Dorota Gellner, “Nosy”
- Julita Grodek, “Mania, a girl unlike any other. The story of Maria Skłodowska-Curie”
- Tom Justyniarski, “Dog worries, or about great friendship with four legs and two hearts”
- Grzegorz Kasdepke, “Detektyw Pozytywka”
- Piotr Kordyasz, “Lolek. Stories about Karol Wojtyła's childhood” (fragments)
- Barbara Kosmowska, “The Girl from the Park”
- Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, “The Troubles of Kacperek the Gorecki Dwarf”
- Maria Krüger, “Karolcia”
- Åsa Lind, “Sand Wolf”
- Astrid Lindgren, “The Children of Bullerbyn”
- Hugh Lofting, “Doctor Dolittle and His Beasts”
- Aleksandra and Daniel Mizieliński, “Which Way to Yellowstone? A Wild Journey Through National Parks”
- Joanna Papuzińska, “Asiunia”
- Danuta Parlak, “Mrs. Crow's Hat”
- Roman Pisarski, “About a dog who rode a train”
- Janina Porazińska, “Black Nose Diary”
- Maria Terlikowska, “A Tree to the Sky”
- Julian Tuwim, “Poems for Children”
- Barbara Tylicka, “About Krakow Dogs and Kleparz Cats. Polish Cities in Fairy Tales and Legends”
- Danuta Wawiłow, “The most beautiful poems”
- Łukasz Wierzbicki, “Kazika's Africa, Grandpa and the Bear”
Compulsory reading (books read in their entirety):
- Jan Brzechwa, “Mr. Kleks's Academy”
- Janusz Christa, “Kajko and Kokosz. Flying school”
- Clive Staples Lewis, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
- Ferenc Molnár, “The Boys from Arms Square”
- John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again”
Short literary works studied in their entirety, literary works studied in fragments, and poetic works:
- René Goscinny, Jean-Jacques Sempé, “Santa Claus” (selection of stories)
- Ignacy Krasicki, selected fairy tales
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Pan Tadeusz” (selected fragments)
- Józef Wybicki, “Dąbrowski's Mazurka”
- selected Greek myths, including the myth of the creation of the world and the myths of Prometheus, Sisyphus, Demeter and Kore, Daedalus and Icarus, Heracles, Theseus and Ariadne
- “The Bible”: the creation of the world and man and selected Gospel parables, including the one about the talents and the Good Samaritan
- selected Polish tales and legends
- selected Polish and European fairy tales
- selected poems by: Jan Brzechwa, Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Anna Kamieńska, Joanna Kulmowa, Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Leopold Staff, Julian Tuwim, Jan Twardowski, and patriotic songs (including “Rota” by Maria Konopnicka).
Compulsory reading (books read in their entirety):
- Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”
- Aleksander Fredro, “Revenge”
- Aleksander Kamiński, “Stones for the Rampart”
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Forefathers' Eve” part II
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “The Little Prince”
- Juliusz Słowacki, “Balladyna”
Short literary works learned in their entirety, literary works learned in fragments and poetic works:
- Jan Kochanowski, selected epigrams, selected song, laments VII and VIII
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Reduta Ordona”, “Świtezianka”, “Pan Tadeusz” (books: I, II, IV, X, XI, XII);
- Sławomir Mrożek, “The Artist”
- Henryk Sienkiewicz, “The Lamplighter”, “Quo Vadis” (fragments)
- Stefan Żeromski, “The Labors of Sisyphus” (fragments)
- selected poems by poets indicated in grades IV–VI, and also selected poems by: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Zbigniew Herbert, Bolesław Leśmian, Czesław Miłosz, Tadeusz Różewicz, Wisława Szymborska, and aphorisms by Stanisław Jerzy Lec.
The Ministry of National Education also provided a list of exemplary supplementary readings for grades IV-VIII. It has over 50 items. As written, in the case of grades 4-6, each year students will have to read at least two books from the list of examples of supplementary reading or from outside this list, selected by the teacher or proposed by the students. In the case of grades VII and VIII, it is at least one book.
High school and technical school:
Literary works known in their entirety:
- Jan Parandowski, “Mythology”, part I: Greece
- Sophocles, “Antigone”
- William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”
- Molière, “The Miser”
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Forefathers' Eve” part III
- Boleslaw Prus, “The Doll”
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
- Stanislaw Wyspianski, “The Wedding”
- Stefan Żeromski, “Early Spring”
- Hanna Krall, “Making it ahead of God”
- Albert Camus, “The Plague”
- George Orwell, “1984”
- Sławomir Mrożek, “Tango”
Short literary works studied in their entirety and literary works studied in fragments:
- The Bible, including fragments of the Book of Genesis, the Book of Job, the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Book of Psalms, and the Apocalypse of St. John
- Homer, “Iliad” (fragments)
- selected works of the Polish Middle Ages, including: “The Świętokrzyski Lament” (fragments), “Master Polikarp's Conversation with Death” (fragments)
- “The Song of Roland” (fragments)
- Ignacy Krasicki, selected satire;
- Adam Mickiewicz, selected ballads, including “Romanticism”
- Henryk Sienkiewicz, “The Deluge” (fragments)
- Władysław Stanisław Reymont, “Peasants” (fragments)
- Witold Gombrowicz, “Ferdydurke” (fragments)
- Tadeusz Borowski, “Ladies and gentlemen, to the gas chamber”
- Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, “Another World” (fragments)
- Marek Nowakowski, “Górą 'Edek'” (from the volume “Prawo prarii”)
- Andrzej Stasiuk, “The Place” (from the volume “Galician Tales”)
- Olga Tokarczuk“Professor Andrews in Warsaw” (from the volume “Playing Many Drums”)
- Ryszard Kapuściński, “Travels with Herodotus” (fragments).
- Horace, Selected Works
- “Bogurodzica”
- Jan Kochanowski, selected songs, including: Song IX, book I, Song V, book II; lament IX, X, XI
- selected poems by Baroque poets
- Ignacy Krasicki, “Hymn to the Love of the Fatherland”
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Ode to Youth”; selected sonnets from the “Crimean Sonnets” series and other poems
- selected poems by: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Miron Białoszewski, Józef Czechowicz, Zbigniew Herbert, Bolesław Leśmian, Czesław Miłosz, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Halina Poświatowska, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Tadeusz Różewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, including “My Testament”, Leopold Staff, Wisława Szymborska, Julian Tuwim.
Literary works studied in their entirety – specified for the basic scope, and in addition:
- Jan Kochanowski, “Treny” (as a poetic cycle)
- William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”
- Juliusz Słowacki, “Kordian”
- a realistic or naturalistic European novel (Honoré de Balzac, “Father Goriot” or Charles Dickens, “The Pickwick Papers” or Nikolai Gogol, “Dead Souls” or Gustave Flaubert, “Madame Bovary”)
- Mikhail Bulgakov, “The Master and Margarita”
- Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, “The Shoemakers”
- Tadeusz Konwicki, “A Minor Apocalypse”
- Janusz Głowacki, “Antigone in New York”
Short literary works learned in their entirety and literary works learned in fragments – defined for the basic scope, and in addition:
- Homer, “The Odyssey” (fragments)
- Dante Alighieri, “The Divine Comedy” (fragments)
- Franz Kafka, “The Trial” (fragments)
- Bruno Schulz, selected stories from the volume “Cinnamon Shops”
- Sławomir Mrożek, selected story
- selected essay by Gustaw Herling Grudziński, Zbigniew Herbert
Poetic works – specified for the basic scope, and in addition:
- selected poetic works from European romantic literature
- Cyprian Kamil Norwid, “Chopin's Piano”
- selected poems: Stanisław Barańczak, Czesław Miłosz, “Moral Treatise” (fragments), Julian Przyboś
The Ministry of National Education has indicated that each class must read at least one book from the list of exemplary supplementary readings or from outside this list, selected by the teacher or proposed by the students.
Vocational school, 1st degree
- Bible, fragments: Book of Genesis, Book of Job
- Jan Parandowski, “Mythology”, part And Greece
- Homer, “The Iliad” (fragments)
- Sophocles, “Antigone”
- “Mother of God”
- “Master Polycarp's Conversation with Death” (fragments)
- “The Song of Roland” (fragments)
- Jan Kochanowski, selected songs, including: Song IX of Fr. I, Canto V, Fr. II
- selected poems by Baroque poets
- Molière, “The Miser”
- Ignacy Krasicki, “Hymn to the Love of the Homeland”, selected satire
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Ode to Youth”, selected ballads, selected poems
- Juliusz Słowacki, selected poems
- Cyprian Kamil Norwid, selected poems
- Henryk Sienkiewicz, “The Deluge” (fragments)
- Władysław Stanisław Reymont, “Peasant” (fragments)
- Tadeusz Borowski, “Ladies and gentlemen, to the gas chamber”
- Hanna Krall, “To Outwit God”
- selected poems by: Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński, Zbigniew Herbert, Czesław
- Miłosz, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Leopold
- Staff, Wislawa Szymborska, Julian Tuwim
- Sławomir Mrożek, “Tango”
- Marek Nowakowski, “Górą 'Edek'” (from the volume Prairie Law)
- Olga Tokarczuk, “Professor Andrews in Warsaw” (from the volume “Playing on Many Drums”).
Second degree vocational school
- The Bible, including fragments of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Book of Psalms, and the Apocalypse of Saint John
- Horace, selected works;
- “The Holy Cross Lament” (fragments)
- Jan Kochanowski, laments IX, X, XI
- selected poems by Baroque poets
- William Shakespeare, “Macbeth”
- Adam Mickiewicz, “Romanticity”, selected sonnets from the series “Crimean Sonnets” and other poems, “Forefathers' Eve” part III;
- Juliusz Słowacki, selected poems, including “My Testament”
- Bolesław Prus, “The Doll”
- Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Crime and Punishment”
- Stanisław Wyspiański, “The Wedding”
- Stefan Żeromski, “Early Spring”
- Witold Gombrowicz, “Ferdydurke” (fragments);
- Gustaw Herling-Grudziński, “Another World” (fragments);
- selected poems by: Miron Białoszewski, Józef Czechowicz, Zbigniew Herbert, Bolesław Leśmian, Czesław Miłosz, Halina Poświatowska, Tadeusz Różewicz;
- Albert Camus, “The Plague”
- George Orwell, “1984”
- Andrzej Stasiuk, “The Place” (from the volume “Galician Tales”)
- Ryszard Kapuściński, “Travels with Herodotus” (fragments).
Main image source: Marcin Bielecki/PAP